TCC Book Three: The Lady and The Cleric
by gwenjm
Summary: Cheetara remembers her life as a member of a noble family as she organizes a relief effort for the Avistans. The cats are invited to "lunch" by Deputy Prefect Horus, and Cheetara gets a deeper perspective on "charity," and what it means to lead. Set after Episode 26 "What Lies Above"
1. Chapter 1: The End of the Beginning

**Author's note**: Well, I did a marathon and rewatched book 3 on DVD. Wow. All of the ThunderCats in 2011, IMO, have a lot of growing up to do (or phobias to get over). Plus, their friendships need a lot of repair. I had hoped new episodes would rebuild their friendships. So, the next stories deal with this. I didn't expect this fic to play out this way, but I was curious about how Cheetara might have felt about her role as cleric in the second part of the season. This is one take.

The relationships in this fic are based on the 2011 show.

Also, I've been playing with the idea of "false Aesops." None of the "lessons" are quite as straightforward as they seem in these next stories.

Will post new chapters when edits are further along. Oh, and I made Horus ('Horis') an owl instead of a pigeon. Was easier to write.

Again, thanks for reading.

**Book Three of The Cheetara Chronicles**

**_"The Lady and the Cleric, Part I "_**

_Chapter 1: The End of the Beginning_

_Cleric_. Cheetara tore through the dark and spit out the word _cleric_. She murmured the word over and over again until it had no meaning, until it sounded like the clamor of diggers opening up a fresh grave in the Forest of Souls. Cler - ric, clink click. Tick click. Shove it. The kid had a knack for wrenching this bile out of people, she now understood. Pound pound pound pound her feet bashed against the ground. Ripped at the air as she went faster. Rip at someone. Rip him apart, Cheetara thought. Was it possible to care for someone, to pledge him your fealty, to believe in him fiercely, to believe in him more deeply than you believed in yourself, to be willing to lay down your life for him, yet, still want to shake him? She wanted to shake him until he could see her, until his eyes popped open. Could she feel this way and still care for him? Could a cleric even feel this way? Could a guardian feel this way? _Hah_, Cheetara thought. Well at least that's over. _Cleric_. _Shove it._ Oh, she was tempted. She ran faster. If she ran faster she could achieve it. If she ran faster she would annihilate everything in her path. _Never_. But oh she was tempted. If only she were not a _cleric_. If only it were not deep in her bones, she would not have to take in cleansing sighs instinctually, despite her feelings, she would not have to slow down and protect those around her, reflexively, even though she wanted to roar with speed. She gripped the yellow staff. This could not be the balance that the spirits meant for her to seek. But for now, she ran, casting off the ire. Wherever it might lead her. How could she have known the day would end like this?

-o-

The air of the summer morning had still been crisp and merry when Cheetara plunged into the lake that lay to the northwest of their camp. Her body quaked as she bathed, but she knew her shivering wasn't about the chill of the water. Today, she would ask Lion-O for the Book of Omens, and she was filled with excitement and nervous energy as she practiced what she would say. She let the water lap over her face to calm herself. It felt strange that she should let such a thing bristle her fur; but she had reason to be on edge, she supposed. She wasn't sure what Lion-O would say. He could be unpredictable at times, and when he was angry, his words could bite. In short, he was a Thunderan King. Perhaps the most gentle, and least "Thunderan" of all the kings she had ever known or read about, but he was a king, nonetheless. And kings could be challenging.

Still, Cheetara had always faced her challenges with calm and measured strength; she took pride in that. And today's request was too important for her to give in to unnecessary jitters. So, Cheetara spread out her arms and let the lake massage her all over; as she kicked, the cool waves ran over her knees and feet and helped her shake off her nerves; she relaxed and thought about what to say when she found the right time to speak with him.

Finding a quiet moment to ask Lion-O for the Book would not be difficult. The cats had some time to spare. Neither the Book nor the Sword of Omens had yet shown the location of the next Power Stone, and before she could look forward to any new adventures, they would have to finish repairs to the Thundertank. Refreshed and invigorated, the cheetah cleric sprang from the lake and trotted back to the camp.

Lion-O, Panthro and Tygra dedicated the day to Thundertank repairs; as they labored under the early morning sun, Cheetara gathered the kittens and the Avista City chicks together to take food to the animals.

"WilyKit. WilyKat." Cheetara ducked into the tents and shook the kittens. "You've slumbered enough! Come help me take out the baskets with the food and water for the day."

Almost one-thousand birds survivors stayed with their grounded city. Cheetara put the birds in small groups, and she supervised as her little volunteers fed everyone.

In addition to the birds, they fed the seven elephants, nine fish men, and twelve dogs in their company. Before taking the meals to the birds and the other animals, Cheetara filled six small baskets with roasted gazelle meat and fruit. She carried the baskets to the Thundertank for the cats; the two kittens, Lion-O, Panthro, Tygra and Lion-O's pet Snarf.

"Thanks again for doing the hunting," Lion-O smiled when Cheetara presented him with the food.

"My pleasure, Lion-O. It was nothing," she grinned at him, feeling her heart swell with pride in spite of herself. She started to bend down to kiss his cheek, but then straightened up again, thinking better of it.

The gazelle meat carried a faint sweet aroma from rockrose leaves with which it had been roasted. Tygra sniffed the meat and frowned; he sniffed again, and then winked at her. "Cheetara, I doubt this is how you meant to season the meat. . ." Tygra said, raising an eyebrow.

_I meant for you to eat it, not sniff it_, Cheetara thought. She had a busy morning ahead and she eyed him blankly before walking toward the gates of Avista, deciding not to give his curious expressions much thought.

The bird refugees lined up in their groups against the city gates according to Cheetara's instructions. They waited patiently to receive the food.

Cheetara recognized the downcast eyes and hard expressions from the birds as she directed the chicks and the kittens to hand out the provisions. In the three weeks after the disaster on Avista, fatigue and exposure tarnished the birds' clothing and feathers, which were becoming dusty, dry and malodorous in the summer heat. Cheetara was somber as she remembered another time she had seen embittered stares in the eyes of those receiving charity during a time of hardship.

-o-


	2. Chapter 2: Charity

"_Zeda_,_ those are the wrong foot coverings!_ _Lady Cheetara should wear her crystal shoes to the charity today,_ _not the spats_," Lady Chiana said, correcting the lizard handmaiden. Cheetara, a girl of four, hated wearing shoes. Her mother always forced Cheetara and her younger sister to wear shoes when they mingled with the common people who lived on their lands.

"Noooooo!" Little Cheetara screamed as she watched the lizard rushing toward her from across the east courtyard of their estate. She wanted to run away from Zeda to avoid putting on the shoes, but Cheetara knew that running was not allowed. Still, she could certainly register a strong protest. The shoes were carved from blocks of crystal her father imported from the City of Dogs. They were heavy, and Cheetara imagined the shoes might serve as a potent weapon against the lizard. If Cheetara could time it properly, she might flip the shoe off and hit Zeda squarely in the...

"Uh! Uh! Huh!" Young Cheetara halted her plotting to watch her father spar with his cousin, a young lion who was nearly her father's age. Her father, Lord Lior, liked nothing better than swordplay on hot summer afternoons. When her mother wasn't looking, he let Cheetara hold the sword and he helped her to swing it. Cheetara knew the movements and could mimic them, even in the heavy crystal shoes Zeda finally coaxed her into wearing. Cheetara jumped forward imitating her father's advance, and swooped her arm sideways to deflect the blade of her imaginary opponent. She leapt into the air as her father vaulted in a somersault over the head of his cousin.

"Here Father! Ungh!" Cheetara flung herself at the legs of her father's cousin to knock the competitor off balance, hoping to help her father achieve victory. She flopped onto the grass of their courtyard, which had been muddied by the men's play.

"Looks like I've got some help!" Lord Lior grinned at her.

"We can beat him, Father, I'm with you!" Cheetara squeaked.

"That's my pretty little warrior," he said laughing. Lior picked up the muddy little cheetah and kissed her on both cheeks. Cheetara squeezed her father around the neck, and squealed with glee.

Lady Chiana howled with frustration. "Cheetara! We are going to be _late_ because of you! Zeda! Change Lady Cheetara into the pink silks. She has just ruined the sapphires!"

"You've made your mother angry, Leah," Lord Lior said, teasing Cheetara.

"My name is _Cheetarwa!_" She hated when her father addressed her formally by the name she would take when she became queen.

Zeda scooped Cheetara up into her enormous green arms, and carried her up the polished marble staircase to the east wing of the estate above the courtyard. The lizard plopped the little cheetah into foamy, perfumed bathwater. Cheetara tried to peek out of the window above her bath, and as Zeda re-bathed and dressed her, she could hear her parents' sharp exchanges.

"I've got to package the rest of meals myself now that Zeda has to bathe Leah again!"

"Why don't you have Priti package the meals? It can't be so difficult."

"Humph! Zeda does it best. Priti doesn't know wheat from rye! She'd fill all the sacks with cakes if I let her. We either do this properly, or we shouldn't bother at all."

Lady Chiana's voice became deep and insistent. "You should not indulge Leah, so," she said.

"I was just teasing her! Harmless!" Lior protested.

"A child of four has no business playing with swords." Chiana said. "You will regret filling her head with folly."

"How is that different from letting her play with that staff of yours," Lior shot back. "I thought I told you to put that staff away. You no longer need it."

"The staff is _different_." Chiana rasped. "A sword leads to mindless violence. A staff focuses the mind. And _Leah_ will need to know how to use one when she is Queen."

"The Queen has no business carrying around a stick." Lior said. "And I don't believe that cleric nonsense about Leah needing to protect the King. Believe me, Chiana. We will not be raising some Eldaran warrior princess - we shall raise a proper queen."

"And I agree," Lady Chiana conceded. "But these are difficult times, and it would be wise to prepare for difficult circumstances that perhaps we cannot foresee."

The Lady pressed her lips to the Lord's ear. "_War is coming. You_ know it, even if Claudus will not listen. And we _all_ need to be prepared, including Leah. _I_ will prepare her if no one else will. Now, if you'll pardon me, dear, I am late for the charity."

"We _are_ prepared." Lord Lior grasped Chiana's arm. "Everything we need is in place, my love. At the end of this, our family will be on top as we've always been. Now. Do not worry. Enjoy the afternoon, and send my . . . regards . . . to our people. And please, this afternoon, show our little ones how to behave as queens. Not warrior-hounds!" Lior said. Chiana raised an eyebrow to Lior, but allowed him to stroke her cheek and kiss her. Lior then watched Chiana sail away across the courtyard, barking orders to her handmaidens as they loaded the meals Zeda had prepared for transport.

Cheetara looked into the teal eyes of the great lizard. "Is that twu?" She whimpered to Zeda. "There will be war? And I shall not be a warrior?"

"You had better ask your mother, dear." Zeda frowned, knowing better than to interfere with matters among cats. She kissed the little cheetah to soothe her, and clothed her in fresh silks.

Zeda carried Lady Cheetara down the stairs and fastened her into the royal blue carriage beside her mother and her baby sister. Cheetara reached out and grabbed a handful of her sister's red hair. She loved the little lion's soft, flame-colored mane that took Priti a morning's work to wrestle into place.

"Cheetara! Let Claudia alone!" Lady Chiana was at her wits end. "_By the gods_, Cheetara. You should be contemplating the suffering of our people, and preparing to provide them with sustenance! This will be your role as Queen!"

"Suffewing? But I thought we were going to the charwity?" Cheetara asked.

"Charity."

"Yes, _charwity_."

"Char -rit - tee! It's pronounced 'charity.'"

"Charwity."

Chiana shut her eyes and rested her head against the back wall of the carriage. "Forget it, Leah. At least you're pretty. You don't have to be smart like your sister."

Cheetara sat sullenly in the carriage and watched the landscape as they passed through the golden-brown countryside. A summer drought left a water shortage, and Lior decided it would be more efficient to irrigate the fields of the nobles who lived on their land, and to have the nobles sell the excess crops to the commoners. As a gesture of good will, Lior arranged for Lady Chiana to give away the excess crops from their own fields to the poorest of the poor, who could not afford to buy the crops from the nobles. Cats, dogs, and a few lizard families lined up along the Lord's Broadway to greet the Lady's carriage and receive the donations.

Lady Chiana ordered Zeda and Priti, two of her lizard handmaidens, to hand out navy colored sacks filled with grain and other staples that would carry the poor through the summer. Lady Cheetara handed out sweets to the children.

Little Cheetara glided in her crystal shoes and silk dress, giving each child she passed a small blue sack filled with tiny candyfruit desserts. The children held their hands out, eyes downcast, and Cheetara winced, seeing a sadness in their faces as she passed them.

A small common tomcat who was roughly Cheetara's age licked his tongue at her. He threw the sack of sweets back at her, hitting her feet.

Chiana swung around sharply and picked up the small sack. She stooped to the child's eye-level and addressed the little cat.

"How clumsy! You dropped your candies." Chiana handed the sack to him and pressed her claws into his palm as the boy's mother looked on. "Now what do you say?"

"Thank you, Lady Cheetara," the boy mumbled.

"You are welcome!" Lady Chiana said. Chiana grabbed Cheetara's shoulder and ushered her away to continue giving out the treats.

Cheetara could hear the comments of the people as she passed.

"The wife only does it for the publicity, anyway..."

"Then give your bag to me, I've got three kittens to feed..."

"I've got four puppies, and I'd rather have water for irrigation than trinkets!"

Cheetara watched her mother smile brightly as she directed the charity effort. Lady Chiana, the girls, and the lizard handmaidens were all exhausted by the time of the first moon rising when it was time to board the carriage and return to the central estate. The carriage rumbled along the stone path under the moonlight.

"Momma," Cheetara called out to Chiana.

"Yes, love." Chiana's fatigue was apparent, even to the little cheetah.

"I don't like charwity."

"Don't be silly, Cheetara. As Queen you'll have to go to charities and provide for the poor."

"Can't we give out the water instead of the twinkets?"

"I don't understand what you're saying." Chiana did not feel like being dragged into such a discussion with a child.

"I don't want to be queen!" Cheetara snapped at her mother and kicked the bench of the carriage with her crystal shoes. If she had to give out trinkets, and go to charities and could not play warrior games, she wanted nothing to do with queendom.

"You will not _ever_ say that again." Lady Chiana's pupils widened and her blue eyes grew dark. "You will serve the King as his Queen, and that is the end of it."

"Why!" Cheetara demanded.

"We all have a destiny, Leah," her mother explained. "Destiny says that you will be the Queen and serve the King."

"I don't like him." Cheetara felt sure of this.

"Don't like _who_?"

"Des Denny."

"What are you talking about?"

"I don't like Des Denny. I want to be the king's clewic, Momma. I dweamed one time..."

"Don't be ridiculous," Lady Chiana laughed darkly. "Destiny is not a person. It is your fate in life. And believe me, you will be the most powerful woman in Thundera as the Queen. That is far better than being a cleric."

"No!"

"_Yes_. Besides, look at you!" Chiana growled. "You could never be a cleric or a warrior. There's no king on Third Earth who would look upon you and want you for anything other than his...his...Lady." Chiana stopped and looked at her daughter who was beginning to dissolve into tears.

"But, why?" Cheetara sniffed. Chiana looked at her daughter. Cheetara was still without spots, and her eyes were pale; she was so young that it was not even clear what color her eyes would be. She was too young to know the ways of Third Earth, and the realities of power.

"Why? Because you are so cute! And so little! And so fluffy!" Chiana tickled the little cat, lifting her mood a bit.

"You were a warrior, Momma, and you're fluffy."

"I still _am_ a warrior, Leah." Chiana looked into Cheetara's eyes. "Women of our stature always are. You think I was cruel to the little tomcat, don't you?"

Cheetara nodded.

"We must be respected, Cheetara," Chiana said gravely. "_We_ must enforce order. That order is the greatest source of our power. Sometimes that means we must be feared and believe me, we shall not always be loved for it. But be not hasty to raise a sword, m'love. We might win such a battle. But, when things get to the point of brawling, women of our position have already lost a great deal. When you rule, you must rule with dignity, child. Dignity. Strength. And resolve. If only you could have met our Queen, now _that_ was a woman with grace and power."

Lady Chiana frowned at the tears in her daughter's eyes. "Listen, soft heart. You cannot cry every time someone speaks a harsh word to you," she said. "Do not worry. In you reign as Queen, I will be at your side to fix your determination, Leah."

"My _name_ is _Cheetarwa_!"

"You will learn, _Leah_." Lady Chiana closed her eyes signaling the end of the conversation.

"Give me my water, now, Zeda. I'm thursty." Cheetara commanded the large lizard. Zeda complied and held a glass chalice to the child's lips. Cheetara gulped from the chalice and pondered her mother's words.

"Isn't there a diffewent king, now Momma?" Cheetara wondered aloud.

"Yes. There is a baby lion who is the new _crown_ _prince _now_, _and he will be the next King," Chiana answered, correcting Cheetara. "But you should not worry. It has been decided that you shall still be betrothed to the king-to-be. Whoever he is. If Claudus wants to keep his precious Thunderans as tenants on our lands, that is." Chiana laughed to herself. "Your father has made sure of that, thanks to _me_. Now that our beloved Queen has been lost, I must stay on top of these things. I made the Queen a promise, and I intend to keep it."

Chiana lifted her younger daughter Claudia off of her lap and placed the small lion across Priti's slender thighs. Lady Chiana then hoisted Cheetara onto her lap and kissed the little cheetah's forehead.

"Little one," Chiana whispered, "If you remember nothing else, remember this. Power comes in many forms, and a warrior wears many faces. Sometimes it means we must use a small display of strength or give a token of charity to signal our Lord's power. A Lady must serve her Lord, but it is not just for her Lord's sake. We serve to protect the greater good. We serve to protect _order_."

Cheetara's eyes widened and then she frowned at her mother.

"No, not order like being put in quiet time, Leah. But similar." Chiana smiled. "We cannot allow our people to suffer, but, we cannot allow them to run amok. Without order, none of us are safe. Order protects us from the lizards' attacks. Order protects us from hunger and famine. And order allows us to protect the poor who cannot provide for themselves, like the little tomcat who was so ungrateful to us today. Your destiny is to protect this order, Leah. As Queen you will be called the King's servant, but your role will be to rule our people with pride."

"But I do not want to rule, Momma."

"Sometimes survival means doing something you don't want to, my love," Chiana kissed the crown of Cheetara's head. "You will learn, Leah. You will rule. And you will see."

-o-


	3. Chapter 3: An Invitation

The chicks in Cheetara's group had almost completed their deliveries to the rest of the Avistan refugees. Cheetara began to think about the best location to gather food for tomorrow's distribution. In the past three weeks, they already picked most areas in the eastern forest completely clean. Cheetara thought it best to rotate to a new area.

"Ow!" Cheetara heard a cry and she darted in the direction of the kittens. She observed WilyKat rubbing his ear and scowling at a young Avistan chick who held a tuft of the kitten's white and beige fur in his beak. WilyKat had just delivered a basket of food when he was repaid with a sharp pinch from the little bird.

"He bit me!" WilyKat howled in complaint. The furry Avistan smirked and eyed Cheetara defiantly.

"Come here Kat," Cheetara said. She examined the patch that had been nipped by the bird. "It's not that bad, Kat."

"They sure aren't very grateful!" WilyKat said loudly, and frowned at the offending chick.

Cheetara sighed and bent down to eye-level with the kitten.

"WilyKat," she started. "As you already know, it can be difficult to be without a home, and to have to depend on others for your food."

"Yes," WilyKat admitted.

"We are merely helpers to the birds," she continued. "Our role is to offer friendship, to respect their dignity, and to serve with humility. Those our only goals. And they _don't_ have to be grateful to us. Do you understand?"

"I suppose so." WilyKat rubbed his ear and pondered Cheetara's gentle reprimand.

"Okay," Cheetara smiled at the kitten. "When I go out to scout the west forest today, it'll be just you and me. We'll have a little adventure."

"Okay!" WilyKat grinned.

WilyKat's shout drew the King's attention. Lion-O handed the wrench he was using to Panthro and ran over to the gates of Avista see what the trouble might be. Lion-O saw the small kitten and the tall cheetah standing on the scorched soil at the edge of the mangled threshold to the bird city.

"Everything going okay over here, Cheetara?" Lion-O asked. The small pudgy Snarf bounced along at Lion-O's feet.

"Fine, Lion-O," she answered. "We've almost finished distributing the meals, and we'll head out to forage again shortly."

Lion-O tilted his head to the side and ran his fingers through his mane before deciding to raise his concerns with Cheetara.

"You know," he paused. "Cheetara, you've still been spending an awful lot of time with the birds. . . getting them food and such."

"Yes," Cheetara responded cautiously, not sure what Lion-O meant.

"It's just that. . . don't you think it's time to let them arrange their distribution system the way they want it?" Lion-O asked.

"What do you mean, Lion-O?" Cheetara could not help frowning. "The birds need our help. They can't do it themselves . . ."

"I'm not sure that's true." Lion-O touched Cheetara's arm. "Look at the Berbils' processing station, Cheetara."

Cheetara turned and watched as a group of Avistans scurried outside of the damaged city gates, loading sunflower seeds, thistle, candyfruit and water into iron vats that churned at four workstations. The vats ground, crushed, mixed and pressed the ingredients into small round cakes that descended down metal shoots and bounced into baskets below the vats.

"While you were out hunting yesterday, the Avistan scouts found some more plants in the western part of the forest," Lion-O said. "Looks like the Berbil suspension system can process that stuff pretty well."

"Oh," Cheetara blushed, "I planned to go out to the western side of the forest today . . . "

"Looks like you don't need to. Cheetara, I think they've got it figured out. They've been trying to be polite, but I don't think they need you lording over them anymore." Lion-O said frankly.

Cheetara swallowed, saying nothing.

"You should try their cakes," Lion-O laughed. "They definitely taste better than those earthworms you all have been digging up!"

"I see." Cheetara bowed her head; she saw WilyKat looking up at her, and she could feel the warm blush expanding across her cheeks.

"Just because they've lost their homes doesn't mean that they've lost their ability to fend for themselves, Cheetara."

"Of course, Lion-O. But, I just think that maybe . . ." Cheetara started.

"It's good that you tried to help," Lion-O continued. ". . .it's just. . .the way you've been doing it has been a bit . . . awkward. I think they can take it from here. But, if you want to be useful, we could use you back in the camp. It's a mess, and really needs a good sweeping."

"Yes, of course. As you wish, Lion-O." Cheetara nodded, and sank her fangs into her lower lip.

"What's going on?" Tygra asked. He slid out from beneath the Thundertank and ran to meet them after realizing that Lion-O was heading in Cheetara's direction.

"Nothing that concerns you," Lion-O said frowning. Lion-O looked up and noticed the owl Deputy Prefect walking toward him. Horus, the Deputy Prefect, emerged from the gates of Avista and waved to the cats. He nodded to Lion-O before addressing Cheetara directly.

"My dear, we cannot thank you enough for your kindness. You have lifted the spirits of the Avistan people during our difficult time of trial." Cheetara could not help glancing sideways at Lion-O.

"To repay you for your kindness, all, we would be honored to have you as guests for lunch at my home this afternoon." Horus said. Horus was an elegant bird with silver-grey feathers, who dressed in green and gold-laced robes. He had taken over the leadership of Avista after the defection of the vulture Prefect, Vultaire, who had left Avista without warning to join the forces of Mumm-Ra.

"We accept." Lion-O smiled broadly and winked at the owl.

"Excellent!" Horus smiled back at Lion-O. "Oh, and one other thing. We like to set a formal table. If you would be so kind as to dress for lunch . . . we would be most appreciative."

"Dress?" Lion-O looked down at his armor and back at the owl.

"Don't worry," Tygra said raising an eyebrow. "We clean up well. We'll see you at lunch!"

"But where are we going to get nice clothes?" Lion-O asked aloud when Horus had gone.

"Don't worry, Lion-O, Kit and I got it covered," WilyKat said smiling, and jetted off to find his sister, WilyKit, who was the keeper of their supplies. Lion-O and the Snarf followed WilyKat leaving Cheetara to ponder what Lion-O had said.

_I suppose now is not the best time to ask Lion-O for the Book_, Cheetara thought glumly.

"Are you okay?"

"Woah! Yes, I'm fine." Cheetara was startled to see that Tygra had not joined the others.

"You seem upset." Tygra lifted Cheetara's wrist to his lips; he kissed her wrist and the palm of her hand.

"I'm just . . . embarrassed." Cheetara's brow wrinkled. "Did you know that the Avistans were processing their own provisions?"

Tygra nodded.

"How did I not see it?" Cheetara raised her eyebrows and shook her head.

"Perhaps you were looking at something else?" Tygra searched Cheetara's face, wondering what could be troubling her so.

"I guess I was," she admitted. "I just couldn't help looking at their feathers, Tygra. They look the way that beggars do. So unwashed and dull." Cheetara wrinkled her nose. _And the smell_, she thought.

"I don't know," Tygra said. "I've come to admire the birds. They're hardworking. Unlike some of those lazy fleabagswho are just sitting on their tails around here_. _The birds are doing well, considering."

'I didn't mean . . ." Cheetara started. "The birds, they have nothing, and I just wanted to help them."

"I think they did need help in the days after Avista crashed," Tygra said. "But I think they're rebounding. They haven't forgotten their technology, after all. The birds may have lost their homes, but they're rich in many ways, I think."

"It helps to hear you put it that way." Cheetara nodded.

"You know, sometimes you remind me so much of the women that I grew up around. Lately, you've been acting more like those ladies of the court than the cleric I used to know. How did you even know how to set up a charity line, anyway?"

"Just came naturally, I guess," Cheetara mumbled. She studied Tygra's eyes. He was probing, and he had always promised not to. Her past was not something she intended to discuss; not even with Tygra.

"Is that all that was bothering you?" Tygra asked.

"For now." Cheetara changed the subject. "Let's get dressed for our lunch with Horus, shall we?"

Tygra grinned. "Absolutely. I can't wait to see what you're going to wear."

oOo


	4. Chapter 4: Forever Fashion

WilyKit jumped with glee when she heard the about the luncheon. The magic bag she and WilyKat had, well, _obtained_ from the City of Dogs had become quite useful. The bag was a simple tan-colored sack with a golden emblem on its side. By watching the former owner of the sack, they had learned that the space inside the bag was quite infinite. The kittens could jump inside the bag and explore it by calling out the magic word, "RankinBass!" They called it the "Forever Bag," because the world within it seemed to go on forever and ever. WilyKit was excited that the older cats were finally interested exploring the Forever Bag and the treasures it contained.

"See, look, Lion-O!" WilyKit grinned and grabbed Lion-O's arm pulling him around the world within the bag. "There's food in here, and toys, and look at the clothes!"

"And look at all the jewels and the gold!" WilyKat piped in.

"This is great, you, two!" Lion-O smiled. He thought a moment, and reached down to pet WilyKit's red and purple ears. "You know, we wouldn't have survived the attack from Mumm-Ra if you hadn't brought the other animals to fight alongside us. The Avistans owe you their lives. We all do, Kit and Kat. You're both heroes. So, let's dedicate this lunch to the two of you. What do you say? You can wear, and eat whatever you want!"

"Thanks Lion-O!" The twin kittens grabbed at Lion-O's legs and squeezed, knocking him to the ground. Lion-O laughed.

The two kittens raced around the world of the Forever Bag. They ducked into boxes and barrels, and trunks and crevices looking for tunics and dresses and sashes and such that they might like to wear to the luncheon. WilyKat selected a light blue tunic with an upturned collar and matching light blue trousers which he cinched with a golden sash. He decorated his paws with golden rings and he hung silver bangles from each wrist. WilyKit selected a long purple silk dress that covered her feet, and hung a long wooden necklace around her neck.

When they had finished dressing, they ran to find Lion-O to see what he had chosen to wear.

"Wow, Lion-O you look great!" WilyKat exclaimed. Lion-O had chosen an aqua-blue tunic and trousers with a simple white belt he tied around his waist. He arranged the fabric loosely, framing his broadening shoulders. He fastened his Claw and the Sword of Omens to his side, and chose aqua-colored spats to match his trousers.

"But something is missing," WilyKit noted. "Lion-O you're the King, you should wear this!" WilyKit held up a dark navy cape and a light silver chain fit to fasten within the top buttons of Lion-O's tunic. Lion-O gasped.

"My father used to wear something like that." Lion-O murmured.

"You don't like it?" WilyKit's eyes widened.

"I like it just fine." Lion-O accepted the cape. "You know, at this luncheon we'll be able to celebrate all sorts of heroes, I guess."

"Humph!" Tygra grunted loudly, announcing his arrival to the Forever Bag with Cheetara right behind him. "If you all are wearing blue, I'm not wearing blue."

"Where's Panthro?" Cheetara looked around for the General.

"Panthro doesn't want to change." WilyKat answered.

"Well he has to." Lion-O declared. "Kat, will you bring something up for Panthro? And make sure he puts it on. King's orders!"

"Will do!" WilyKat scampered around the Forever Bag until he found several large tunics that he thought might fit the enormous panther. When Lion-O finished dressing he went up to inspect the General.

Panthro selected a deep purple short-sleeved tunic with a flattened collar, matching trousers, and spats. His brawny shoulders and metallic arms bulged beneath the sleeves.

"You look downright handsome, Panthro," Lion-O teased.

"I'll say." Cheetara emerged from the Forever Bag and grinned at Panthro in his fine cotton tunic.

"That's enough. Just cut it out!" The General turned to hide the rush of heat he felt spreading across his cheeks. "And how did you learn to walk in those?" Panthro pointed at Cheetara's feet.

Cheetara had dressed herself in a fine white floor length satin gown that draped just above her ankles; she accentuated her waist with a thin white sash. A dark sapphire choker glinted brilliantly around her neck, and sapphire earrings dangled at her chin. Her feet sparkled in crystal shoes with golden heels that elevated her three inches above her natural height, and she swept up her hair into a loosely gathered bun and wrapped it around a small wooden stick.

"Cheetara . . . you look . . . you look like . . ." Lion-O blushed, looking for words.

". . . A queen . . . ." WilyKit looked at Cheetara with wonder.

"I'm no queen, but you're very sweet to say so, Kit," Cheetara said. "Lion-O, you had better go get Tygra. He'll spend the entire afternoon preening if you let him."

"You're right about that." Lion-O rolled his eyes to the sky. "I'll go get him."

"RankinBass!" Lion-O dropped down into the Forever Bag, wondering where he should begin to find his brother.

"Tygra? What on earth are you doing?" he called.

"Finishing." Lion-O heard Tygra mumbling and followed the sound of his voice.

"Well _finish_!"

"Perfection takes time, Lion-O." Tygra had found a mirror and was examining the lay and draping of the trousers he selected. "These are wrong."

"You've got to be kidding."

"Wait, you'll see."

"I hope not."

Tygra doffed the ill-fitting trousers and donned a second pair he had at his side. "See, here it is!" Tygra nodded with self-approval. Tygra had chosen a black long-sleeved tunic with an upturned collar and white trim. He undid the top button to expose the soft orange and white fur beneath. A black sash tied tightly around his trousers emphasized his narrow waistline. The trousers he selected hugged his hips and fell straight at his ankles; he chose to wear silver spats underneath them. He adorned himself with a single rose-colored broach he fastened to the lapel of the tunic.

"Whatever." Lion-O shook his head.

"From you, that's a compliment." Tygra smirked. "You look good, too, Lion-O. I wish you'd always take your appearance this seriously. You actually look like a king in that."

"Thanks, I think." Lion-O said, knowing his brother had meant the compliment earnestly.

-o-


	5. Chapter 5: 'Lunch'

Lion-O led the ThunderCats through the grounded ruins of Avista. The city had held up remarkably well during its crash to earth. Lion-O was careful to avoid the residual broken shards of glass and metal beams that littered the city streets. The cats wandered past leaning walls and sunken homes before reaching a white brick estate on a grassy knoll in the interior of the city.

"Welcome!" Horus stood in front of the Prefect's Mansion to greet the cats. "You must forgive the damage and the ongoing repairs to the city. The Berbils you've lent us are doing an excellent job. You'll see that the Prefect's Mansion has held up splendidly, and really needs little repair at all..."

Horus guided the cats into a foyer with vaulted ceilings and crystal chandeliers. He led them quickly past the great sitting room, but not before the cats could see the chiseled marble statue of Vultaire that intruded into the middle of the room. The former resident of the the Prefect's Mansion was embodied by the tall white statue of the bald vulture; his 7 foot wing-span stretched across the parlor and his beak pointed up to the ceiling. The eyes of the statue looked down his beak upon the cats and followed them into the dining hall.

"Welcome, all!" The cats were greeted by a small, plump sparrow with a short narrow beak and a trill in her voice.

"Allow me to present my wife, Aria," Horus placed an arm behind her wings. Aria smiled broadly and nodded to Lion-O. She was a diminutive creature with pale violet-colored eyes. Her feathers had faded with age into a dull yellow color muted by a tan-colored patch atop her head. Her hips were curvy and she chose a strawberry-colored taffeta gown to wrap tightly around them.

"I'm so glad you are here," Aria gushed. "I simply love a party! I've prepared some of the finest delicacies you'll find in all of Avista!"

Panthro gulped and could not help grimacing. He had tried fine avian cuisine before, and was not a fan.

"I am sorry that we gave the impression that you needed to cover your feet with shoes," Aria sniffed, looking at Cheetara's shiny crystal-covered feet.

"No . . ." Cheetara blushed, "I didn't mean . . ."

"No bother," Aria said. "But would you be so kind as to leave them here at the door?"

"This way." Horus ushered the cats into the hall, to a large, rectangular, cherry-stained oak table covered with a strawberry-colored table-cloth. The table was decorated with egg-white marble plates and crystal wine goblets. The table was set for eight.

"Sit across from me, Lord Lion-O," Aria smiled at him. "My dress matches that gorgeous red mane of yours. We'll balance the look of the table." She winked at him.

"And place the children next to me." Aria fluttered about seating the guests. She seated Lion-O in the center between Tygra and Cheetara, and placed Panthro in the end seat down the table from herself. When his wife had finished arranging the party to her liking, Horus sat next to Aria across from Cheetara. Snarf settled beneath Lion-O's chair and snuggled at his feet.

A tall crane wearing a tan robe bowed to the guests and poured a velvety textured red wine into the goblets.

"Can we have wine Lion-O?" WilyKit asked. "You said we could have what we wanted!"

"Uh, sure. But take it easy, okay?" The kittens nodded in agreement.

"A toast!" Horus stood raising a goblet. "To new found friends."

"To friends." The ThunderCats agreed.

"And to better luck." Horus said seating himself. "We've all had a terrible run of bad luck lately. My dear Lion-O, I express my condolences to you and all of the cats. The past months have been so trying for you. You've lost your Kingdom, your families, and from what I can see you've been wandering Third Earth. Where have your travels taken you?"

"Well," Lion-O swallowed the wine. "As you know, we face a common threat. Mumm-Ra will not rest until he has all of the power stones. We cats have been relentless in opposing him and our travels have been guided by that mission."

"Yes," Horus nodded. "How terrible this whole Mumm-Ra business has been for you all. We have only recently become aware of it, as you know . . ." Lion-O ignored Horus' intimation.

"You certainly have traveled far from Thundera. You've visited us in the sky, before The Crash, of course. You've visited the City of Dogs, and the Sand Sea, the realm of the Fish. How did you first encounter Mumm-Ra? As far as I knew from legends of old, that dusty mummy was sealed away in some pyramid somewhere. How did he get out?"

"We had a traitor in our midst." Lion-O scowled. "A soldier named Grune, who once served my father, freed Mumm-Ra and helped to organize the lizards in an attack on our lands."

"Yeah, but I took care of _him_." Panthro said. "Cost me my arms, but I locked that traitor Grune away where no one will find him now." Panthro wiggled the metal fingers on the mechanical arms the Berbils had built for him.

"Pity." Horus clucked his tongue. "Was that traitor Grune related to the other cat traitor who led Mumm-Ra to Avista and caused the crash of our city? That was a female traitor, a puma, wasn't it?"

"They weren't related." Lion-O growled.

"What about your own traitor?" Tygra snapped. "The leader of your own people betrayed you and joined the forces of Mumm-Ra. His actions had as much to do with the crash of Avista as anything Pumyra might have done. "

"Of course." Horus agreed. "No argument there. We are getting along quite well without Vultaire, with the generous help of your people, Lion-O."

Lion-O raised his glass of wine to his lips, saying nothing.

"Horus, enough of politics," Aria scolded him. "Lion-O's lovely children haven't been served their meals!" She signaled to the crane to continue the service.

"Those aren't my kittens." Lion-O corrected her. "WilyKit and WilyKat are orphans who joined us on our journey after The Fall of Thundera. Without their help bringing aid to Avista, things would have been much worse. We all owe them our lives.

"To the kittens, then," Horus raised his glass.

"To WilyKit and WilyKat." The ThunderCats echoed and drank.

"Well, I am sure that the kittens are like family to you now, Lion-O." Aria said. Lion-O's face brightened. "Very much so," he agreed.

"And you'll have kittens of your own, soon, I'm sure, Lion-O." Horus offered. "Cheetara, you have been so kind and gracious to our people. We are grateful to you as well. To Cheetara!" Horus raised his glass in another toast.

"To Cheetara." The ThunderCats drank.

"Lion-O, it was so very gracious of you to allow your beautiful young Queen to attend to us so closely." Horus thanked him.

At this comment, Tygra stood sharply, knocking his chair backward. He glared at Horus.

"Cheetara is _not_ Lion-O's queen!" Tygra slammed his fist on the oak wood table knocking his nearly-full wine goblet onto the marble floor below, causing the crystal to shatter and spew wine across the room.

"Oh dear," Horus stared at Tygra with glassy green eyes. The crane rushed to set Tygra's chair upright and attend to the broken crystal, and wine-stained marble floor.

"Enough Tygra!" Lion-O grabbed at Tygra's sleeve and forcibly seated the angry tiger.

"I am so sorry!" Horus said. "I just . . . assumed . . . ."

"Well you assumed wrong!" Tygra shouted, stirring in his chair.

"She's not my queen." Lion-O said. "Cheetara's a cleric."

"Oh, I see." Horus said.

Tygra kicked Lion-O in the leg below the table causing Snarf to mewl in protest. "_Nice going Lion-O,_" Tygra whispered, snarling. "Thank you for telling them that Cheetara is a member of a _secret_ society."

"Oh, right . . . _sorry _. . . ." Lion-O bit his lower lip. Cheetara was able to suppress a frown.

"Horus, you are ruining my party!" Aria protested.

"I admit, I am not as social as my wife, Aria." Horus said. "I believe that one should speak frankly among friends. And I do hope that the birds and the cats can develop a friendship, if for no other reason than to meet our common threat, as you say, Lion-O."

"Of course." Lion-O agreed.

"In the name of friendship, Cheetara, I would like to show you something." Horus gestured toward a narrow hallway leading away from the dining hall. "As a cleric, certainly you have an appreciation for history. I have records of my family tree extending back millennia to the arrival of Mumm-Ra's ship on Third Earth. I'd like you to see them."

"Certainly," Cheetara agreed.

"I'd like to see them." Tygra said.

"But, it really is such a small space, and the records are delicate," Horus explained. "It would be better to have you back one at a time. I'll return for you if that's alright."

"It's fine," Cheetara answered before Tygra could protest. "Lead the way." Cheetara rose from the table and followed Horus to the narrow hall. Cheetara gazed up at the elegantly adorned walls. In the weeks following The Crash of Avista, and Vultaire's defection, Horus had already removed all traces of Vultaire's artwork from the hall. In their place, Horus hung framed paintings of owls from his family line along the walls.

"It is just this way." Horus closed the door behind them and led Cheetara to a second narrow doorway at the other end of the long hall.

Suddenly before opening the second door, Horus turned and accelerated quickly, grabbing Cheetara by the neck. He slammed the cat against the wall and pinned her there.

"Your _arm_, please." Horus snarled. Cheetara accelerated and grabbed the simple wooden stick from her hair. She used the momentum from her speed to break Horus' grasp; she elongated her staff, and smashed Horus against the head with it. The owl toppled to the ground and Cheetara pounced on him grabbing his left arm.

"Yours first." She demanded.

"Very well." Horus struggled and was unable to free himself; Cheetara's claws dug deeper into his feathers the more he wriggled beneath her. He allowed her to pull back his feathers revealing a faded navy spiral-shaped tattoo that marked their order.

Cheetara had never met a bird cleric before. She knew that the order of clerics included all of the species who protected the power stones. But before The Fall, she had only ever met cat clerics. For centuries, the cats had led the entire order of clerics by virtue of possessing the War Stone, also known as the _Eye of Thundera_ among the cats. Only recently had she met two elderly elephant clerics who had protected the Spirit Stone for ages. But the elephants had long forgotten the secrets of the stone they protected. Even now that the elephants had given the Spirit Stone to Lion-O, Cheetara had not been able to learn much about its potential. She intended to gather much more information from Horus about the Technology Stone; he must have protected it before it was captured by their enemy Mumm-Ra.

"Now _yours_." Horus hissed at her. Cheetara released the owl and stood. She raised the fur on her lower forearm revealing a crisp, navy, spiral-shaped tattoo. She raised the fur on her arm further revealing the _neha_ tattoo, a brown circle with a central dot, sandwiched between two serpentine staffs. Jaga had branded her with the _neha_ tattoo days before Lion-O's rite of passage ceremony, during which Lion-O had been tested for his qualification to carry the War Stone and the Sword. Months later, the tattoo was still raw and a bit sore.

Horus' eyes widened upon seeing the _neha_ brand on Cheetara's arm. He knew well the brand symbolized eternity, and denoted Jaga's intentions for Cheetara's position within the order. "Forgive me, Your Grace," Horus gasped and bowed. "I had no idea."

"It's all right." Cheetara helped Horus to his feet. "You had to be sure."

"Yes. I could not be too careful. Obviously this is not about family trees." Horus said.

"Obviously not." Cheetara said.

"There is a problem behind this door, and I could not show it to just anyone, you understand." Horus apologized further.

"A problem?" Cheetara asked.

"Yes. It became evident to me only after The Crash. But you are so _young_. How did Jaga come to select you from among so many others for this responsibility? You do know what your tattoo means, don't you?"

"Of course, I know." Cheetara glared at the owl.

Horus chuckled. "And I am so old. You wouldn't have gotten the jump on me so easily in my younger days. Still I can see you are quite skilled. How old are you?"

"How old are you?" Cheetara countered.

"I have 83 revolutions. Two more than my wife Aria. And you?"

"Nineteen." Cheetara admitted.

"Nineteen!" Horus chuckled again. "You have a ways to go then don't you, little girl? But you'll go further than I ever will. You are older than your King, though, aren't you?"

"Yes, by about two revolutions."

"He is but a boy." Horus said. "How could Jaga entrust our future to mere kittens? What happened to the old jaguar anyway? How did he die?"

"In service to our people." Cheetara stated firmly. "Now enough questions."

"Impatient are we?"

"Maybe I'm just sick of having been grilled by you all afternoon."

"Grilled?" Horus cooed.

"Yes. _Grilled_. Do you think that I missed your obvious attempts to extract information from Lion-O?" Cheetara spoke directly. "Do not think for a second that I have been fooled by your offer of hospitality. Asking us to come here 'dressed' and therefore poorly armed. Quizzing us about our numbers and our mission. And digging for information about me. Why all of the pretense, Horus?"

"I hope you can forgive my clumsy probing. I had to understand the nature of your mission and your relationship with the King." Horus apologized.

"Is that so?" Cheetara asked.

"Yes. My dear, it is obvious that you are not cut out for domestic work. Those horrible little food baskets you threw together for my people could not have been more awful!"

Cheetara giggled.

"But yet," Horus paused. "I observe something equally obvious."

"And that is?"

"That both the King and the tiger are vying to be your mate. And neither has succeeded."

"Is that so?" Cheetara did not feel compelled to satisfy the owl's curiosity.

"Yes. You are close to the King. Yet you are neither his domestic servant nor his mate. So who could you be? Luckily the King himself cleared up the mystery for me. You are a _cleric_. And luckily for me, a cleric is exactly what I am in need of."

"And for what reason do _you_ need a cleric?" Cheetara asked.

"I suspect your King has asked himself the same question?" Horus inquired.

"I don't know what you're talking about." Cheetara said, tensing her shoulders.

"Come on." Horus huffed. "I have watched you cats for nigh on three weeks. The King moons over you, certainly. But in all of the decisions he and I have made together, I have not once observed him consult with you or seek your opinion."

"And Vultaire consulted with you before abandoning your people?" Cheetara blurted.

"Ah," Horus smiled. "So you have noticed it too?"

"Look," Cheetara sighed dropping her shoulders. "As you know, kings can be complicated. And right now, these are difficult times."

"A thin excuse." Horus frowned. "If I was able to bond with a 'complicated' man like Vultaire, certainly you should be able to handle a boy like Lion-O. If Vultaire has shown us anything, a ruler separated from his cleric is a dangerous variable in this game. Little girl, you had best overcome whatever it is that is 'complicated' about your relationship with your king. And trust me, it isn't your dreadful cooking that interests him . . . ."

"Tell me more about the problem you mentioned." Cheetara was determined to keep Horus focused on the matter at hand and not to let him get under her skin any further.

"Yes." The owl's brow darkened. "It's this." Horus opened the second door. The door opened into a large unfurnished room without windows. A wooden staff hung horizontally on the wall opposed to the door, and the room glowed with a bright yellow light. Cheetara peered in and looked to the left in the direction of the light. There, she saw the problem.

The room had a third door which lay ajar. The door had been knocked from one of its hinges. It lay against its frame blocking the entrance to a third room. The third room was drenched in a bright shining yellow light that radiated in all directions behind the door.

"Do you know what this is?" Horus asked her earnestly.

"Yes, don't you?" Cheetara's brow furrowed. She knew exactly where the damaged door would lead them. The vivid yellow glow could not be mistaken; the door was a portal to the _Astral_ _Plane_. Cheetara entered the second room and slowly reached with her hand out to open the glowing, damaged third door.

-o-

* * *

In the dining hall, Aria refreshed the wine glasses for her guests and apologized repeatedly for Horus' indelicate approach to their conversation.

"He really is a sweet bird when you get to know him, but with age he's become so crusty around the edges," she explained.

"Humph." Tygra would not be appeased. "How long does it take to look at some old scrolls and paintings anyway? What is taking them so long?"

"Horus does like to talk." Aria laughed. "And Lion-O, I apologize for Horus' silly remarks. You and Tygra make a _lovely_ couple."

"Tygra is my _brother_, not my mate." Lion-O sighed.

Aria looked confused. "But, I thought . . . well . . . the two of you have such passion toward each other."

"They've got issues." Panthro admitted.

"But then . . . who is your mate, Lion-O?" Aria looked across the table.

"Not me." Panthro corrected her.

"I don't have a queen." Lion-O said finally.

"How is that possible?" Aria asked. "I would've expected you to have been betrothed at a young age, Lion-O."

"I was betrothed." Lion-O muttered and sighed heavily. "I did have a queen. But . . . she died . . . ." Tygra turned and faced Lion-O, his brown eyes widening.

Lion-O continued. "Her name was Leah. I think she was some sort of princess in a neighboring cat realm but I don't know which one. She was killed in a lizard attack when I was still a cub. I never got to even meet her . . . and my father never found another cat he thought was suitable . . . . "

"I've never heard you speak about that story." Tygra said quietly.

"Father told me about her years ago. I always felt sort of sorry." Lion-O whispered.

"Technically, Leah was betrothed to _me_, before she was matched to you." Tygra corrected Lion-O. "I had about five revolutions when they called off the search for a new queen and the elders decided that Leah should still be betrothed to the king-to-be, to you . . . I never got to meet her either. I was almost eleven when I learned she was dead."

"I guess that's just another thing you lost because I was born, right Tygra?" Lion-O snapped at him.

"I suppose." Tygra murmured softly, lowering his eyes.

"But at least father arranged for _you_ to be betrothed to another girl after that." Lion-O stared at Tygra. "Does _Cheetara_ know that?"

Tygra began to growl and did not answer.

"Goodness! I'm no better than Horus!" Aria whistled to the crane to take away the lunch plates. "Bring the dessert, now will you?"

"I'm not hungry." Tygra grumbled.

"We are!" The kittens shouted. The Snarf meowed in agreement. Lion-O began to make a yawning sound and rub his throat.

"Don't leave just yet." Aria chirped. "I've made this special for the occasion. I understand that cats are quite fond of candyfruits!"

"Candyfruits!" The kittens confirmed Aria's assumption.

"Where is Cheetara?" Tygra asked.

"I don't think . . ." Lion-O coughed. ". . . think I can handle any candyfruit right now." Lion-O yawned deeply and rested his head on the table.

"Are you kidding me?" Tygra's nostrils flared. "Get up, Lion-O. This isn't a time to nap like a cub!"

"We did have quite a few toasts." Panthro observed.

Lion-O closed his eyes. His mouth opened wide and he made a heavy snoring sound.

"Get up!" Tygra shook the sleeping lion vigorously. Lion-O began to drool. "This is appalling! You can't be serious!" Tygra cried.

"He is awfully young to have had so much, I suppose. But this is a party, we should all enjoy ourselves so well." Aria tried to smooth over the potential embarrassment caused by having a snoring monarch at her table.

"Lion-O has never had difficulty with wine." Tygra thought aloud. "And he had less than the kittens!" Tygra inspected the kitten's empty glasses.

"Well," Aria raised her eyebrows. "Then let us try to wake him up." She signaled to the crane, who brought her a pitcher of water; she splashed droplets on the King's face. Lion-O murmured but was not roused.

"Do not pour that over Lion-O's head." Panthro warned Tygra, moving closer to the King. "Wake up, Lion-O." Panthro shook the King. Lion-O snored loudly in response. Panthro sniffed at Lion-O's glass and gulped the remaining wine in it.

"Panthro, what are you doing?" Tygra yelled.

Panthro stood for a moment and blinked. He waited. Nothing. "It seems fine to me." Panthro said finally.

"I don't care." Tygra snapped and pushed back his chair. "Aria, please, get Cheetara. It is time for us to go."

"How are we going to get Lion-O up?" WilyKit asked, wrinkling her brow.

"Yes," Aria chirped. "You can't just carry the King through the streets of Avista on your back. Think of the scandal it would cause!"

"I couldn't care less." Tygra snarled.

"At least let us try to wake him up." Aria suggested. "Wait here. I'll go and grab some waba sticks; the scent should help to rouse him." Aria disappeared into the parlor from which they had entered.

"This is ridiculous." Tygra sat down next to the snoring lion, tried to prop up Lion-O's head, and picked candyfruit cake from his mane.

oOo


	6. Chapter 6: A Problem

Cheetara reached out to open the damaged door that lay across the glowing yellow room, and, thinking better of it, she withdrew her hand and peered into the yellow fog.

"Wait." Cheetara said, her eyes cutting sideways toward the bird. "Why haven't you opened this door yourself?"

"I've tried," Horus admitted. "I can't open it. I've used my staff, and Aria and I have tried together, but we can't pry it open."

"And what makes you think I can get it open?"

"I don't know that you can, little girl. But if you are who your tattoos say you are, you might have a chance."

"I'll help you." Cheetara said. "But first I want some information."

"What kind of information," Horus scowled.

"Tell me about the Tech Stone." Cheetara replied, glancing down at Horus, taking shallow breaths, and hiding her eagerness behind pursed lips.

"There isn't much to tell," Horus rolled his eyes to the ceiling.

"Then I suppose there isn't much to see here." Cheetara swiveled away from him to rejoin the other cats.

"No, wait! " Horus cleared his throat. "I will tell you. But this information is not meant to be heard beyond the brotherhood of the clerisy, understood?"

"Understood." Cheetara agreed.

Horus continued. "As you know, the four stones were divided among the superior species on Third Earth. The cats, the elephants, and the birds. The cats, of course, claimed two of the stones, while the elephants protected the Spirit Stone, and the birds guarded the Technology Stone."

"Old news to me, go on." Cheetara said to Horus. _The cats claimed two stones_? She thought to herself.

"The Technology Stone was reviled by the other animals because of its connection to the destruction of the _planet_ Thundera. Eons ago, on the planet Thundera, our ancestors put forth a bold vision for their world. They dreamed of a society where all animals would live, not in service of their base desires, but, for the betterment of zoomanity. They sought a power source to generate energy to provide food, shelter, and the like for all of the animals. Our ancestors reasoned that harnessing powerful energy would free them from the bondage of heavy labor, so they might focus on the arts. Culture. Exploration. And so, they reached into the heart of their planet and formed the Technology Stone to mobilize the magnoelectric energy from Thundera's very core.

"For centuries it worked for them. And, the citizens of Thundera indeed entered a golden age. They became explorers of the galaxy, building ships capable of space flight, and they invented technologies that we could never hope to dream of. However. Time wore on. Memories of the purpose behind the technology faded. There were...disagreements about how the energy should be used. Wars began to erupt between the animal species. A power struggle crystalized between factions of cats, elephants, bats, and other animals. An _evil_ born of jealousy, greed, and selfishness infested the energy harnessed by the Technology Stone.

"As the animals drained the planet's core to support their wars and their complex societies, the core destabilized, causing earthquakes and tectonic plate shifts in Thundera's crust. Legend says that the bats seized the Technology Stone and used it to equip a large vessel that could support many civilizations in space flight. They selected animals who swore allegiance to them to join them on the vessel, and they departed Thundera before the planet shook itself into oblivion." Horus' eyes narrowed and he drew closer to Cheetara as he continued.

"But alas, the bats could not escape their fate. Death followed them onto their ship. Disease spread amongst the animals aboard the vessel. A terrible plague killed the all of the bats. Some it killed quickly, and some . . . slowly. One lone bat lasted longer than the others, and he was left to bury the dead and to wait alone. In agony. Fear. He wasted away until his insides were consumed. And slowly, the plague covered him, choked him, until he suffocated to death.

"It is said, with the death of the bats, the evil energy that surrounded the Technology Stone was released, and formed into four spirits. The spirits revived this last doomed bat, and chose him to rule over the animals and carry out their bidding. This lone bat was given the gift of immortality, and serves these evil spirits to this very day." Horus paused. "I needn't tell you whom the legends speak of, I trust."

"Mumm-Ra." Cheetara shivered as she voiced it aloud.

"Yes, of course. When your ancestors Leo and Panthera defeated Mumm-Ra and liberated the four stones, it was discovered that the evil did not dwell within the stones themselves." Horus' speech quickened. "The Technology Stone's energy appeared to be sentient, but, capable of taking on the character of the stone's owner. But no matter. Most of the early settlers of Third Earth still believed the Technology Stone was cursed. Luckily, my ancestors the Owls were smart enough to see the potential in the stone and agreed to protect it, and to keep its true potential under guard and key. Else, Third Earth could suffer the very same fate as Thundera. My family line has an unbroken connection to this history, and my own children and grandchildren are clerics who would have protected it after Aria and I are gone. Would have..." Horus' voice softened and he averted his eyes.

Cheetara stood silently for a moment and cast her eyes downward, remembering the struggle on Avista City. Initially, she had been in favor of stealing the Technology Stone from the birds before she recognized its importance to Avistan society.

"What can the Technology Stone do?" Cheetara asked.

"Anything." Horus' eyes gleamed. "Its central power is the ability to harness and redirect the energy of the natural world which can be used to create gravity, force fields, weapons, or any other thing the owner can imagine. Luckily our imaginations tend to be limited."

"And what of the Spirit Stone?" Cheetara probed.

"Of that I know nothing," Horus admitted. "You would have to ask the elephant clerics to learn that story. Now, what of the two stones that the cats possess? The War Stone, or the _Eye of Thundera _as you call it_, _andwhatofthehidden_ Mystic Stone?"_

"That will have to wait, Horus." Cheetara put her nose close to Horus' ear, and curled her lips into a sly grin. "One favor at a time," she whispered into his feathers. _Mystic Stone_? She thought to herself.

"Ahem! Very well, then," Horus replied, blushing and simpering back at Cheetara. "I would be most appreciative if you could simply shut the door to this blasted yellow room."

"Shouldn't we go inside?" Cheetara suggested.

"_No! _" Horus said. "I am honestly frightened of it. For years I have visited this mansion, and several Prefects have lived in it. This room has been decorated with art, and this door has opened into a closet as long as I've known it. After The Crash three weeks ago, this room appeared to me as it does to you now; it is empty, with the door ajar, glowing with light, and with that wooden staff on the wall. I have no knowledge of any of it."

Horus paused. "All I can tell you is that Aria and I have seen a dark creature floating out of that yellow light into this room and back. I do not know what this creature is, but it does not seem to be up to anything good. We should very much like to shut it in if we could."

Cheetara nodded and looked at the door. She took a deep breath and tugged at the cherry wood edges that lay melded to the doorframe. It would not budge. She took her staff and tried prying at the door along its remaining hinges without success.

"I've already tried all of this..."

"Now who's impatient? Be quiet so that I can think," Cheetara said. She ran her fingers along the damaged door. "This is a powerful magic like none I've ever encountered," Cheetara said. This is even more powerful than the magic I've felt from Jaga. We won't repair this door without a powerful tool."

Cheetara walked over to the ancient staff hanging on the wall and regarded it. She folded her own staff and tucked it away inside her hair.

"If you're thinking of trying to pull down that staff, forget it, you can't." Horus said. "Aria and I have both tried, and it doesn't budge."

Cheetara inhaled deeply. "Let me see for myself," she said. Cheetara shuddered, feeling the energy moving through the staff as she approached. Stepping closer, she felt a rush through her body that was oddly familiar. The thrill from the energy stirred memories of her mother teaching her to run for the first time; she remembered an old tune her mother used to sing to her as their speed lifted them into the air.

"_Ancient souls, run with me. Guide my feet, as I try. I will live as I die, honor bound, and spirit free._" Cheetara sang aloud. The staff began to emit a yellow light that blinded Cheetara and Horus.

"Don't touch it!" Horus warned her.

"Don't worry, it's okay." Cheetara lifted the staff, brought it down from its perch, and held the weapon in both hands. It was heavier than the staff she was used to carrying. It was well-balanced. It spun quickly and she could feel a wild energy moving through it.

"Here we go." Cheetara took the staff and pried at the hinges of the door to the glowing yellow room. With a single twist the door came fully unhinged. She attempted to right it.

"Help me put the door back into place," she called to Horus. They aligned the door along its broken hinges, but it would not stay upright. Cheetara pressed the yellow-lit staff against the door, hoping to seal it in place. Instead, the door came crashing down to the floor exposing the portal.

"Horus, I'm not going to be able to seal it from outside like this." Cheetara said.

"Very well, then, go in." Horus conceded. "You seem to recognize this energy, don't you?" Horus said, looking in at the yellow haze.

"Yes."

"Do you have any idea what we will face inside?" Horus asked.

"We?"

"You don't think that I've called you here to do this alone, do you? Of course, I'm going with you."

"Fine." Cheetara didn't argue the point. "Horus, you really don't know where we're going? Do you?"

"No." Horus said.

"Well, this place is a dimension that serves as a crosswalk between the spirit world and our own. It is known as the Astral Plane, and this door is a gateway."

"Of course," Horus gasped. "_Where power exists_ . . ."

"_There is a guardian at the gateway_," they recited together. So many sayings among the clerics were so vague that their meanings had been lost in the flow of time.

"I never knew this expression was literally about a gateway!" Horus said. " And _power_ must refer to the Power Stones. I suppose some secrets are kept better than I could have realized."

_Tell me about it_, Cheetara thought. "You have to trust me while we are inside, okay, Horus? The things that you will see and feel are not what they might seem. Do you understand?" Cheetara looked at Horus sternly.

"You have my word that I will do as you say." Horus followed Cheetara into the yellow haze. When they had both crossed over the threshold of the portal, Cheetara pulled the door through the portal and slammed it forward into place. The door and the yellow fog disappeared and they found themselves standing in a blank room with an iridescent white glow.

As the door slammed shut, Lion-O's breathing slowed and his snoring stopped.

-o-

* * *

"Did I just hear a crash and a door slam from down that hallway?" Panthro asked looking toward the hall.

"Crash?" Aria reentered the dinning hall with the waba smelling sticks. "Oh Horus is probably moving around some old books and things. Nothing to worry about."

"Aria, you better get over here with those sticks. Lion-O isn't looking so good." Tygra warned.

"We'd better get him onto the floor," Panthro said.

Tygra and Panthro laid Lion-O's limp body on the cold marble floor, while Aria waved the waba sticks in front of his nose.

"He's waking," WilyKat peered over at Lion-O.

Lion-O glanced around the room with glassy eyes and let out a strained cough. His lips were blue, and he did not speak.

"What's going on, Aria?" Tygra glowered at her.

"I don't know," Aria wrung her hands together.

"You'd better give us some answers!" Tygra demanded.

"You know your King better than I do, _you_ tell me." Aria glared at Tygra.

"I know that I've never seen him intoxicated," Tygra snapped.

"He seems pretty out of it. He looks like he's choking." WilyKit said, staring at Lion-O.

"Give the waba sticks time to wake him," Aria said, stroking the girl's ears. Tygra let out a deep, throaty rumble and fanned the sticks under Lion-O's nose.

-o-


	7. Chapter 7: Into the Astral Plane

Horus reached out into nothingness, unable to find the opening to the portal where the door had been. "That is just great," Horus looked around at the glowing white walls that now surrounded them and he frowned at Cheetara. "How will we find our way out? I never meant for us to be trapped in here ourselves!"

"Don't worry." Cheetara examined the yellow glowing staff she held in her right hand. "We'll be able to find a way out again."

"So what do we do now?" Horus asked.

"We should look for the creature you saw crossing over into our dimension," Cheetara said shrugging her shoulders.

"But there's absolutely nothing here but a blank white wall," Horus protested.

"Look!"

Cheetara stared into the white glowing light to her left and saw a familiar field. The cleric's courtyard behind the royal palace in Thundera came into plain view. Before The Fall, the clerics would practice for the entertainment of the royal family in the small courtyard below King Claudus' chambers. Only senior clerics and members of the royal family were allowed to enter the yard, but Jaga had made an exception in Cheetara's case. Claudus and Tygra liked to watch the cleric's sports from Claudus' south facing balcony. Cheetara remembered this particular afternoon. It was one of many in which she had jousted before the King and the Prince, but this was her first competition with this particular sparing partner.

"Cleric!" Jaga motioned toward Cheetara. "Come forward. It is your turn!" Cheetara did not move. She observed an image of herself, a junior cleric of fourteen revolutions, fully cloaked in her cleric's gown and hood, armed with her staff, moving toward Jaga with great speed.

Jaga moved swiftly out of reach and tripped little Cheetara with his spiral staff. Cheetara accelerated and flew, maintaining her balance as he had taught her. She turned a somersault and landed in a broad based ready position, poised for a second attack. She darted at Jaga counting the number of times he dodged and avoided her. _Seven_, _eight_...Cheetara counted to herself. She had watched Jaga many times, and was sure that on the ninth dodge he would attack. ..._Nine!_... Jaga reached out to strike her with his staff. Cheetara angled to the left and was able to grab the staff with her left hand, sending it sailing across the courtyard grass. The senior clerics gasped at the unfamiliar sight of Jaga unarmed. Jaga quickly prepared to defend an attack from Cheetara's staff. Cheetara did not attack. She raced across the grass to grab Jaga's staff and tossed it beyond the boundaries of the courtyard. As Jaga watched his staff sail out of reach, Cheetara accelerated and slid underneath Jaga's legs knocking him off of his feet. She righted herself and prepared to angle her staff at his throat. She blinked and looked to her right and left, but Jaga was nowhere to be found. She felt a gentle tug at her ankle and Jaga's foot swiping her leg. Before Cheetara knew what had happened, she was on her back on the ground. Jaga delivered a small shock from his palms and hit Cheetara on the shoulder, ending the battle. Cheetara was crestfallen, knowing that she had lost. She was confused as she looked up to see the King, Prince and the senior clerics applauding. Jaga extended a hand to help Cheetara to her feet.

"Congratulations, Cleric." Jaga said. "I could not defeat you without magic. You are ready to move on to training as a senior cleric. No one has ever accomplished this during their first full battle with me, Cleric. Never in all my years of training."

Tygra had rushed down to the yard to congratulate her. "Congratulations, Cleric," he grinned. Cheetara knew she was not allowed to address Prince Tygra while gowned in public.

"How did you figure that out so fast?" Tygra asked. "It usually takes the clerics at least a few years to learn that Jaga's discipline is his greatest strength, but also his greatest weakness." Cheetara bowed her head and stared at the Prince.

"Anyway." Prince Tygra cleared his throat. "Great job. I'm...proud of you." Cheetara had been surprised when the Prince disappeared before her eyes. She was shocked to feel a gentle peck at her cheek. The Prince had used his own magic to render himself invisible. The boy kissed her quickly on the cheek through her hood before running away to rejoin his father in the royal palace. Cheetara's cheeks burned like fire even now at the memory of that afternoon.

Cheetara glanced furtively over at Horus and could see he paid her no attention. He was gawking at the blank iridescent light into nothingness, as far as Cheetara could tell.

"Horus," Cheetara called to him. "Let's go. I'm not sure what these images mean, but they're not real. They're memories."

"But I just saw my induction ceremony into the senior ranks of the clerisy," Horus' voice quavered. "I haven't thought of that day in many years."

"I'm not sure why this is happening, but we need to find that creature you saw and make sure it doesn't still have the ability to escape though the portal. We need to figure out how the creature got the door open in the first place. Okay?" Cheetara said.

"Okay." Horus was still visibly shaken. "Do you see him?"

"See who?" Cheetara craned her neck to the left.

"Him!"

"Yes." Cheetara turned her head slowly to the right. Before her stood a fearsome young owl with pale green eyes. He was thinly built with silver-grey feathers that gleamed brilliantly in the iridescent white light. He was cloaked in a green robe with gold trim.

"Still following orders instead of giving them?" The young owl sneered at Horus.

"Do you know this bird, Horus?" Cheetara refused to address the vision before her.

Horus hunched forward and averted his eyes. He seemed smaller and older than Cheetara had noticed him to be before.

"That's me." Horus whispered. "I wasn't always the old bumbling fool you see now."

"Horus," Cheetara began.

"At least you know you are an old bumbling fool now," the younger owl said, straightening his own wings.

"It's this _place_," Cheetara continued. "The Astral Plane tends to exaggerate subconscious fears and desires. You have to ignore it, Horus. Pull away from it."

"I'm not a fool!" Horus lashed out at the image of his younger self. "I've always known the role I have to play. I know you think I could have become more. But I needed to do my duty as a cleric. Real life requires compromises you could never understand at your age!"

"You could have run for the elections. You could have easily been more popular than Vultaire. You knew what kind of man he was. But you were afraid. You preferred to stand in the shadows. You're a small man, Horus. Very small. It is fine to be a small man when all you need to do is watch a stone glow in the dark and bless chicks at birthing ceremonies. But when your people needed you, Horus, you hid. At least Vultaire bothered to try to fight Mumm-Ra before betraying us. But after Mumm-Ra attacked, you hid in the inner cleric chambers. That's not compromise. That's cowardice!"

"I...I was saying incantations for a successful battle..."

"I wish lying came less easily to you, Horus. I suppose that lying is part of being a cleric. I just find it so pitiful that you cannot even tell the truth to me."

"What else should I have done? The casualties of The Crash were not my fault. These cats brought this terror down on us! Someone had to be left alive to pick up the pieces. That's what I've done!" Horus shouted.

"My hero..." the younger owl flapped his green robes and bowed until his wings touched Horus' feet.

"Enough!" Cheetara seized Horus by the shoulders. "Look."

Horus and Cheetara looked beyond the younger owl and saw a vast tangle of evergreen trees rising in the distance before them. The sky above the forest was black and undulating like rip-currents in a river, and lit by flashing silver-grey cumulus clouds, which were heavy with moisture. Rolling waves of thunder shook the air and resounded in the distance. Between the trees, a snuff-colored creature lumbered and zig-zagged deeper and deeper into the dank and humid expanse.

"You are joking, aren't you?" Horus watched Cheetara advance toward the forest. "We're not going in _there_?"

"We absolutely are. Did you see that beast in the forest? I know exactly who that is." Cheetara sped toward the forest, and the younger owl ran close at her heels. Horus accelerated, not wanting to be left behind.

Cheetara and Horus slowed and wound their way through evergreen trees that lay hollowed and pitched sideways in varying stages of death and decay, and sat loosely rooted in hay-colored grass, which crunched beneath their feet with each step. Cheetara could see bleached bones from animal carcasses scattered across the ground. She looked around them and saw that the forest had grown out rapidly, and the black sky and wan foliage had enveloped them. The white iridescent light was nowhere to be found. She lifted the ancient yellow staff for light; it glowed more intensely when she pointed it to the east. She and Horus decided to move in that direction.

"Horus, please! Try to keep up! You're dragging your feet," Cheetara chided him.

"Horus has always been a bit of a drag," the young owl quipped.

"What is your plan, Cheetara?" Horus asked.

"My plan is to catch that creature and make sure it can never leave this realm, Horus."

"You're awfully confident in yourself, little girl. How will you do that? Do you plan to mesmerize the creature with your long yellow hair?" Horus asked.

"I know what I'm doing," Cheetara ignored him. She narrowed her gaze and focused her far vision into the distance as her mother had taught her.

"There!" Cheetara shouted. The murky brown figure had caught a glimpse of the light from the staff and was moving away from them at a fast clip.

"He sees that blasted glow from the staff! Put it out!" Horus yelled to Cheetara.

"But I won't be able to see!" she complained. The black pupils in Horus' eyes expanded and cut his green irises to slits.

"I see well in the dark, I'll lead us." Horus said.

"Horus, this is Grune the Destroyer we're following." Cheetara warned him.

"The traitor?" Horus cried.

"If you can't handle this, I can do it by myself, Horus. Can you do this?"

Horus nodded and swallowed. "Yes, if we slow down," he said.

"Humph. This girl is obviously a higher class of cleric than you are, Horus." The younger owl observed. "Are you sure you shouldn't let her go on alone? It's not your job to get yourself killed." Horus glanced sideways at Cheetara.

"Horus, I _am_ very well-trained. If you can't keep up with me, you really don't have to do this," Cheetara said.

"You're not better trained than I am! Let's go, little girl!" Horus snapped.


	8. Chapter 8: A Confrontation

Horus' body juddered in the blackness as he led them around the downed branches and powdered animal skeletons that littered the forest floor. Cheetara picked up the sound of tiny voices calling softly above her head and halted.

"Horus... Do you hear that?"

"Now who's imagining things?" Horus said. "Actually, yes, I do hear them. And I see them."

He pointed upward to the thick black boughs above them. The eyes of animals from several species shone down on them from the tree limbs. Airy wisps, they descended and circled around Cheetara, murmuring and chattering. Cheetara whipped out the ancient yellow staff and illuminated the area.

The animals were children; the eyes belonged to kittens, chicks, fry, calves, cubs, hatchlings, puppies, and apes.

"These are spirits, not visions," Cheetara said to Horus.

"_Who is there? Is it must be her. She is here_!" The animals prattled, floating about Cheetara's head.

"No, it is not her. Not _yet_," one of the kittens peered into Cheetara's eyes.

"She's a cleric!" A young voice boomed, scattering the apparitions. Cheetara's lips fell open and her eyelids narrowed as an image of herself walked toward her from the forest, young and barely spotted, around fourteen revolutions if she had to guess.

"At least you used to be a cleric. I don't know what you are in that dress." The younger cheetah brushed past the elder and tugged at Cheetara's white party gown, now soiled with dirt at the ankles.

"Oh!" Cheetara frowned. "Relax, this is just... we're at a luncheon..."

"You're a cleric," the younger cheetah declared. "And a powerful cleric, too. Are you going to stop following that boy around as he fumbles in the dark or what? The King should follow _your_ lead. If you don't put him in his place, you're going to lose this war to Mumm-Ra!"

"That's wrong." Cheetara shook her head and looked at Horus. "I was angry and frustrated when I felt that way. I love my service to the Crown."

"Enough. You don't have to hide your desires from this bird. He's knows our kind too well," the younger cheetah eyed Cheetara.

"And I know you well, too," the young cheetah continued. "We both know this world can be harsh. Only the strong survive. And you're a strong girl. You need to learn to unearth your full power and rule as a cleric."

"You don't know what you're talking about." Cheetara frowned at the younger cheetah. "I don't even understand what you're saying. . ."

"Oh, you understand exactly what I mean." The younger cheetah jerked Cheetara's arm. "Who do you think ruled? Claudus or Jaga? Claudus did not even know of the Book's location, much less did he know of the Power Stones, or the Sword's true potential."

"That is not what Jaga did!" Cheetara snatched her arm away and shook her head at the young cheetah. "We have rules and discretion for a reason. You don't understand that yet. It's not about power. We serve the Crown with humility."

"Oh?" The little cheetah smiled. "You mean humility like this?" The little cheetah raised her arms to the sky. Cheetara turned her head toward her younger self and listened to the trees around her. She heard a forceful wind rushing toward her in the forest, whipping through the barren branches of the dead trees. Cheetara held her breath as her hair blew in her face; the wind grated against the decaying tree limbs with the sound of a thousand Thunderan mounts stampeding toward her, threatening to rip her apart.

"You hear that?" The little cheetah shouted above the din. "That's what it sounds like when you release your full power. In this place, you can have what you want. Here, you can be as fast as a spark of light. If you just use your magic, you can have it. Infinite momentum. Infinite power. But first, you have to say what you want. Say it."

"This is what it sounds like when you lack discipline!" Cheetara shielded her face from the whip of the wind. "Horus!" Cheetara cried. The gale blasted through the forest and knocked Cheetara and Horus to the ground. Cheetara held on tightly to the yellow staff and her eyes grew wide as her younger self crawled next to her on the ground.

"You don't have to hide your desires. I know that it excites you," the younger cheetah shouted. "Even through all that humility, you know you need to let your power run free. That is what thrills you about that tiger of yours, isn't it? He knows how to push himself to the limit. And he is unafraid of what anyone thinks."

"Get off of me. How dare you," Cheetara seethed through clenched teeth, and shielded her eyes from blowing debris. "You don't know anything about us. About me. Why are you saying these things?"

"Don't be coy," the little cheetah laughed, her hair blowing wildly in the wind. "You have to get in touch with this power inside of you. You are the Guardian. How can you be the guardian of a power you don't understand? Jaga understood it. Jaga _ruled_ the clerics. Do you think he would have chosen you to lead if you weren't mean to do the same?"

Cheetara stood, her body freezing and shaken. She stared down the younger cheetah and used the yellow staff to steady herself. "You _know_ that I've never wanted to rule. I've _never_ wanted that. Just the opposite. I accepted the _neha_ because I wanted to be supportive. Supportive of my King. If I'm. . . having doubts now, it's just. . . I'm just afraid that we're losing this war against Mumm-Ra . . . and I couldn't live with myself if I knew I could help our people and I didn't use my . . . I'm trying. . . ."

"And how is that going, Cheetara?" The younger cheetah rose to her feet and braced herself against a hollowed oak. "From where I stand, it looks like your abilities are being wasted. When are you going to take control of this situation?"

The wind increased its frantic dance, rumbling through the forest, snapping boughs from the trees and hurtling them toward the cats and the birds. "Duck!" Cheetara yelled to Horus. The cat and the bird took to the ground again and felt themselves being pushed backward through the dead grasses.

"Stop this!" Cheetara cried.

"It's not my power, it's yours!" The little cheetah shouted. "You have to take over. Feel it. Use it, or we'll all be killed."

"Do something, Cheetara! Please!" Horus shouted.

"All right!" Cheetara closed her eyes and felt the wind moving around her. She gripped the yellow staff tightly to focus her energy. Her body began to shake with the rhythm of the galloping wind and she let the wild energy move through her. It felt strangely hot like steam from a smelting pit, yet soft, liquid, flowing and ancient, and she could move it, shake it, she imagined Thundera itself had not shaken with such force when the planet broke itself apart, and she laughed. Cheetara laughed. She threw her head back and raised her arms in the air. She stood tall in the midst of it. Elated. Dominant. As the energy grew, the joy she felt deepened and she let it surge through her. She inhaled deeply and caught the smell of burning; a smell like burning chestnut oaks. She opened her eyes and gasped in horror. The black sky had caught fire and was dropping red soot onto the dead foliage.

"Cheetara!" Horus cried. "What are you doing!"

"I was trying to stop the wind!"

"With fire? Idiot!" Horus screamed. "You've set the sky alight! We've got to put it out!"

The little cheetah laughed as Horus and Cheetara ran about, frantically stamping out the flames that caught on the dry foliage around them, desperate to prevent the brushfire from lighting up the entire forest and consuming them inside it. Cheetara looked around, wide-eyed, for something to quench the flames, and from the corner of her eye she saw a brown, furry beast moving further away from them, running down a sloping path.

"Stop, Horace!" Cheetara stood still and released her grip on the yellow staff, her heart beating rapidly. "Stop! The forest isn't really on fire! It's a distraction." She turned and faced the younger cheetah. "I don't know who you are, but you're not me," Cheetara shouted, "I would never cause this kind of destruction. I would never seek to wield power, or rule." Cheetara smiled triumphantly. The winds and the flames died down and the sky filled with black soot and smoke around them.

"Really? Is that so?" The little cheetah grinned. "Can you really be humble in the face of power like that?" She asked. "You were meant to rule. Do you truly intend to keep following your King? That fool boy is more likely to set the sky alight than you are. He means well. But this war requires more than good intentions. You need to rule."

"It is not my place to question the King," Cheetara coughed, clearing dust from her throat. "My service is a great privilege." She flattened her ears to her head, bowed her neck, and moved out of the little cheetah's line of sight. "I follow Lion-O gladly because I believed in him. I mean, I do believe in him..."

"You've followed him right into trouble," the younger cheetah chased Cheetara with her eyes. "Continue on this path, and you'll get yourself killed as Mother did. It is time for you to lead. You must take your reign as Jaga did!"

Cheetara growled, feeling the small hairs on her neck and arms become taut and painfully stiff. "You can save your breath. I will never be a ruler. I won't be cruel or abusive. Or arrogant. I meditate. I have been disciplined. I've allowed no distractions. I've sacrificed!"

"And for what? Has Lion-O given you the Book? " The young cheetah asked and raised her eyebrows. "Without it, how will you even know how best to serve your mission?"

"I haven't asked him for it, yet. But he will . . . when I ask him." Cheetara gripped the yellow staff tightly.

"And if he doesn't? _Then_ will you strike off on your own? You need to retrieve the last stone and win this war! The others only slow you down. You know the history. When Thundera faced destruction by the Rats, Jaga struck out on his own to defend our people. He used his power to defeat our enemies." The younger cheetah's fangs glinted under the glowing light of the yellow staff. "You feel it don't you? The staff you hold. Its power..."

Cheetara took a deep breath and fixed her eyes on the little cheetah.

"Listen. To. Me. I respect Lion-O's decisions," she told the younger cheetah. "It . . .it's not just about whether we defeat our enemies, it is about _how_ we defeat them. I know Lion-O's heart. I believe in the prophecies. We need his leadership to bring about a new and better Thundera. A new and better Third Earth! It is my privilege to support him. That's what's important."

"Humph. You and your little causes," the younger cheetah murmured. "Always the crusader. Well, since you are so attached to the boy, it might interest you to know that Lion-O is _dying right now_."

The younger cheetah turned and pointed down a sloping gravel path that bent toward an estate flagged with navy banners, sprawled across a lush green field. Cheetara gritted her teeth as she recognized the gleaming stone pillars and manicured lawns that went on for acres.

"Do you see this too, Horus?" Cheetara asked, gasping.

"The estate? Yes, yes, I see it."

"Lion-O's soul is there isn't it?" Cheetara demanded of the younger cheetah.

"Yes, his soul is there," the younger cheetah said. "Not that _you_ can reach him in time." Horus and Cheetara swung around and glimpsed a furry brown creature dashing inside the main house of the estate.

Cheetara started down the path toward the mansion and realized she could not accelerate, and that the light from the yellow staff had grown faint. When she tried to move, her knees and ankles groaned, and her feet plodded along as if elephants hung from her legs, dragging along with her every step.

"What's going on?" Cheetara howled at the younger cheetah.

"It will be easier for you to be humble if you aren't strong or fast," the younger cheetah smirked.

"I'll go ahead. Meet me there!" Horus yelped, and flew down the rocky path to the mansion below.

Cheetara made her way to the estate and inhaled sharply as she entered the main house. Lion-O's soul lay purple and breathless on the marble floor. Horus was administering to him, desperately pushing breaths into Lion-O's lungs. The younger owl had found Horus and was taunting him as he worked.

"What happened?" Cheetara shouted at Horus.

"I don't know. Lion-O was lying here. He looks like he's choking!" Horus cried. Cheetara flung her body to the floor and held Lion-O's motionless purple cheeks between her fingers. "Horus, something is terribly wrong back in our dimension. We've got to go back!"

"How can you go back?" The younger cheetah interrupted her with laughter. "You've given up your magic in your quest for humility." Cheetara sensed a great presence behind her, casting its black shadow over her. She looked up to see the giant cat stalking through the estate toward her. His brown fur was shaggy and matted, and his gold metal armor was tarnished. His ragged claws glinted as he raised them to attack, a single tooth hung like a dagger from his mouth.

"Who is that?" Horus cried. Cheetara did not reply and kept her eyes fixed on the beast.

-o-

* * *

In the dining hall, Tygra called out to Aria. "Lion-O's not breathing anymore!"

"And I want to know what that crash was coming from down the hall!" Panthro said racing toward the door. Aria saw Panthro running toward the hallway door and accelerated to intercept him.

"You cannot go through there. Please go sit by your friends." Aria commanded him drawing her staff.

"I don't know what's going on here, but it ends now." Panthro roared at her.

"I don't know what has happened either," Aria admitted. "But you can't open that door. It's private!"

"Watch me." Panthro reached for his nunchaku, and realized that he had left them in the foyer at Aria's request. He lunged at her instead. The small, elderly bird used her staff to get underneath him, and deflect Panthro's body toward the dining room table. He hit his head against the heavy oak table, stunning himself.

Tygra started toward Aria, realizing that he, too, had left his whips in the foyer.

"Wait," Aria pleaded. "Why are you attacking _me_? Your lion King is not breathing. We could battle, but at what cost? We must try to wake him. I honestly don't know what is happening. But it is clear that something has gone terribly wrong."

Tygra took a deep breath and looked at the frightened expression in Aria's eyes, and in the eyes of the kittens. He looked at Lion-O's lips which were turning blue, then purple.

"All right." Tygra conceded. "Bring more smelling sticks."

Aria raced to Lion-O's side. She puffed with all her might into his lungs, and pounded rapidly on his chest. She handed the waba sticks to Tygra who waved them in front of Lion-O's nose.

"He's not waking!" WilyKit cried.

"Stop," Tygra called to Aria. "He's a lion. There is a different way to do this." Tygra knelt by his brother, who was lying limp on the floor. He pushed aside Lion-O's mane and felt for the base of his skull. Tygra could feel a space just above the uppermost bone in the back of Lion-O's neck. He massaged and pressed the space and could feel the small rise in Lion-O's chest with each massage. Lion-O's chest began to rise and fall more rapidly, and Tygra let go. Lion-O began to breathe on his own. He was unconscious, but at least he was now breathing.

WilyKit melted into tears; her brother put his arms around her shoulders. "It'll be okay, Kit. Lion-O will fight back and come out of this," WilyKat reassured her.

"What is going on, Aria?" Tygra cried.

"I don't know," Aria repeated. "I do see a dark energy surrounding your King, but I do not know what it is."

The kittens looked back and forth between Lion-O and Aria, frozen with fear.

Lion-O's breathing was becoming increasingly difficult to stimulate, and his lips and throat were beginning to swell. Tygra did not dare move his hands far from Lion-O's neck. Tygra growled and looked toward the hall door.

-o-


	9. Chapter 9: A Battle for the Soul

Cheetara rose to meet the beast. "What did you do, Grune?" Cheetara roared at the enormous cat.

"That won't help." Grune said to Horus who was frantically trying to puff air in through the purple lips of Lion-O's soul. "When that door to the portal got knocked loose, I was at least able to get my soul out to our dimension. Right now I've got my soul wrapped around the inside of Lion-O's throat. I want out. If you don't open that door all the way I'll finish crushing him to death."

"Let go." Cheetara commanded him.

"Open the door." Grune countered.

"Cheetara, you can't let that criminal out of here." Horus stood.

Grune jammed his elbow into the old owl's chest. Horus crumpled onto the floor unable to catch his breath.

"You don't get it." Grune rasped. "Now that the portal is closed - I'm separated from my soul. I've only got minutes left before my body starts to die in here. I can't get it open again. _You_ need to open it. You better believe I'll take your King down with me if you even think about keeping me inside here."

Cheetara lunged up at Grune to bring him to the ground. The giant cat shoved her hard onto the floor, knocking the yellow staff from her hand. Grune picked up the cheetah by her arm and leg and threw her, slamming her head and back against a plastered brick wall. Cheetara fell onto the floor, reeling. Her eyes blurry, she looked over and saw Lion-O's throat and lips begin to swell as Grune's soul tightened his grip around Lion's neck.

"This isn't negotiable." Grune's eyes were wild. "You need to open that door now."

"We'll die first!" Horus stood and glared at the cat.

"Horus, this isn't the time for your grand stand!" Cheetara cried. "I won't let Lion-O die."

"I'll kill him. I swear it," Grune promised.

"All right, Grune!" Cheetara grabbed the yellow staff and pointed it toward the front door of the estate. Horus and Grune watched as the staff glowed in Cheetara's hands and emitted a seering white energy that burst into a gleaming yellow portal before them.

Horus accelerated and blocked the entrance to the portal. "I'm not letting him out."

"Neither am I," Cheetara said.

"Then what would you have us do?" Horace cried.

Cheetara steadied herself and stood behind Grune. "You can bring your soul back in here, but I'm not letting you out," she said.

Grune and Cheetara felt a rush of wind enter through the portal from the empty room in the Prefect's Mansion. Cheetara watched Grune's eyes fill with life as his soul returned to him. She swung around to examine Lion-O's soul and saw Lion-O's color return, and the swelling in his lips and throat recede. Lion-O's eyes began to open, and his image faded away from the floor of the estate.

Grune knocked Horus aside from the portal and prepared to make his way through.

"No, you don't." Cheetara shouted. The younger cheetah had somehow drained her abilities, and Cheetara knew that she could not accelerate as a cleric could. She did not have the reflexes to use the yellow staff with any skill. But there was a part of her that she could always embrace, and that was always there, underneath, waiting.

Cheetara buried her claws into Grune's left leg and sank her teeth into his bones, crushing them. She tossed him backward into the Astral dimension and pounced on him. Grune bellowed, writhed, and stared at Cheetara with shock as she climbed on top of him, slinking on all fours, angling for his neck. Feeling the power rushing back to her muscles and joints, Cheetara snatched his knotted black beard between her claws and smashed Grune's head on the marble floor, knocking him unconscious. She reached for the yellow staff and seized it with her right hand. Feeling the hot energy from its magic surging through her, Cheetara aimed the staff at Grune's head.

"Stop, Cheetara!" Horus grabbed Cheetara's shoulders. "Enough! Enough, he's down."

"Move out of my way!" Cheetara roared, her face stained scarlet-red, radiant in the staff's light. "I know who this criminal is. I have the _neha _and I outrank you! It is my duty to protect us from low-class scum like him."

"And who will protect us from high-class scum like you?" Horus cried. Cheetara looked up at him seeing the fear in Horus' eyes.

"It is _my_ destiny to impose order, Horus! When _I_ rule...my reign will be... My reign. . ." Cheetara gripped the yellow staff tightly.

Cheetara spit Grune's blood from her mouth and inhaled deeply. She could feel another energy rushing through the staff. The energy was like a winter night's breeze from the great lake that divided the House of Lior from the Realm of Jagara. The energy was blue and cold as if coated with ice. Cheetara called to it, beckoning it to come forth. She shivered and felt her heart beating in her ears as four icy figures emerged from the haunting blue light.

"She knows us," one of the figures spoke. The voice was silky and deep, and Cheetara recognized it as her father's.

"She has failed. She is not ready." A second figure spoke. A lithe woman with yellow hair and brown spots stepped out of the blue light and stood before Cheetara.

"Chiana?" Cheetara asked.

"No, Cheetara. You've chosen to view us through the images of those close to you."

"She did not fail. She called to us for help. That shows wisdom on her part." The voice came from a young woman with wild red hair and kindly blue eyes. _Claudia_. Cheetara bit her lower lip. _Does this mean you are dead? _Cheetarathought_._

"Do you know who I am, Cheetara?" The fourth figure knelt beside her. His orange and black striped fur was warm nestled against her back and shoulders. His face drew near hers, and his soft skin rested against her cheek.

"Yes," Cheetara whispered. "_You are love_. You are the power and peace that has always soothed me. You are ancient and kind. I'd recognize you anywhere. _Ancient Spirits of Goodness, _you've come to save me."

"No, Cheetara," the image of Chiana spoke to her. "When you are ready, you will come to save _us_. Now, give us back the Staff of Panthera."

Cheetara reached up to give the yellow staff to the image of her mother.

"Wait," one of the Spirits cried. "How will she learn to balance this power if we take it away now? We need her to struggle with it. To know it. Or she will be unable to use it in our time of need. She should make her mistakes now, rather than in our time of trial."

"Agreed," the other Spirits nodded.

The Ancient Spirits of Goodness hovered silently above Cheetara.

"I am willing to give you the staff," the image of Chiana said finally. "But you must recognize that you are conflicted about your role as cleric. You are not just a warrior. As Head Cleric, you must act as the Guardian of the Gateway. You must use your abilities to lead."

"But what does that mean?" Cheetara asked. "All these years, I've trained to protect the Crown. To be a warrior and to serve. And I'm good at that. Jaga and I, I guess when I accepted the _neha_, I didn't have time to understand what it would mean. I know Jaga was an advisor. A mentor. A ruler, I guess. I guess he used his magic to keep _order_. But I can't stand the idea of using power that way."

"Cheetara, in the Astral Plane, one often learns to face one's greatest fears, rather than one's desires," the Spirit said.

"Well, now I know for sure. We all know it now. I'm not the right person to bear the _neha. _And I definitely shouldn't have the staff. This staff just intensifies my abilities, and opens me to feelings I hate." Cheetara said. "I can serve as one of the King's warriors. But I should not rule as head cleric," Cheetara held the up the staff to return it to the spirit.

"Cheetara, perhaps it will help you to consider that there is a difference between ruling and leading," the Spirit said.

"In your disgust for the former, you must not fail to do the latter. You are quite . . . confident . . . in your speed and power as a warrior. But that isn't what is special about you. Your greatest strength is your wisdom. You have the wisdom to see the big picture, and to know what really matters. And it is _that_ ability that will make you a great guardian, and that will help you to control the power of the spirit realm. As Head Cleric, you must grow to use your wisdom and magic to _lead_ - as well as to serve others. You must find this balance for yourself. Do you understand?"

"Yes." Cheetara dropped her head, and drew her shoulders to her chin.

"No, you don't, but you will. For now, you will retain the staff. Meditate and decide if you will choose to keep it. And now, we ask that you use the staff to bind the traitor cat to this realm. And you must not speak of its origins or its potential to anyone. Can you do this?"

Cheetara straightened her back and nodded sharply.

"Very good," the image replied.

The staff flashed a warm golden light into Cheetara's face and forced her to close her eyes. When she opened them again, she stood facing Horus, who was patting her cheeks, trying to rouse her consciousness.

Cheetara looked down at Horus. "What happened?" She asked.

"You mounted that beast Grune, and got your little dress dirty." Horus scoffed.

"What did you see?" She looked at Horus wild-eyed.

"I saw you stand up, blank out and mumble to yourself, instead of tying up this large cat beside you!" Horus said.

Cheetara squinted at Grune, now a brown bleeding heap on the floor, and pointed the yellow staff at him.

"I said _don't_!" Horus cried.

"Don't worry, Horus," Cheetara said gently.

"This will not kill him. It will only bind him here so that neither he nor his soul can escape again."

Cheetara exhaled and directed a small energy burst at Grune hitting him in the chest.

She directed a second burst at his leg to heal it.

"It's done." Cheetara said to Horus.

"Then, come on! Let us get out of here!" Horus said.


	10. Chapter 10: In the Dark

Cheetara and Horus accelerated through the portal. Cheetara thrust the yellow staff into the opening and used the blinding white energy to seal it after they safely passed through. They stood together in the windowless room, staring at a small closet where the portal had been.

"You actually got that door closed, Cheetara. My hero!" Horus teased her.

"You're the hero, Horus," Cheetara embraced and kissed him. "I . . .I got overwhelmed in there. The abilities I have . . . I have to stay reflective . . . meditate daily on humility or I . . . make mistakes."

"I'm no hero, Cheetara. I've lived long enough to know who I am, and I'm comfortable playing second flupe to great men, and women. And if you should ever need anything from me, Your Grace, I am at your service." Horus said with a gentle dip of his head.

Horus licked his beak. "You are certainly not that gentle little girl you appear to be. Do your companions know who you are? _Neha_ and all?"

"No." Cheetara admitted.

"Well you had better let your King know. With the dangers we face, he needs a guardian whether he knows it or not."

Cheetara sighed. "Guardian. I've wanted to defend our people from harm. Support my King in his decisions. But now it's more complicated than that. If I'm going to help Lion-O win this war, I'm going to have to face up to some things I'd rather not have to deal with."

"From what I saw in there, I think you can handle it." Horus said.

Cheetara blushed. "I appreciate that. But I've still got a lot to learn. About myself. About the dangers we face. Lion-O and I have some things to discuss."

Horus stared at Cheetara with probing green eyes.

"What you said about your King... Do you really believe that somehow _his_ decisions will magically lead to a great society, or some victory against Mumm-Ra?" Horus asked.

"Yes, I do."

"Why would you believe that?"

"Evidence." Cheetara said, fixing her gaze on Horus. "The first time I met Lion-O, I mean, really met him face to face as my charge, he was in the slums fighting with a group of alley cats who were shaking down dogs for money. Lion-O attacked four cats twice his size to protect someone you might consider one of the _inferior_ species. It really made me think.

"The very next day, Lion-O took on an entire mob of his own people to protect two lizards, mortal enemies of the cats. He even stood up to his father to get the lizards set free. Even _I_ had never stood up to Jaga on behalf of lizards we'd enslaved on minor offenses. It made me hope our people really could do things differently.

"And when Thundera fell, Lion-O bravely fought an entire army against whom we were hopelessly outmatched. Lion-O alone had the foresight to use alien technology to save the lives of King Claudus and Prince Tygra. And yes, he had been ridiculed all of his life for even studying technology. After that, I believed. I believed in him, and in his vision for a new order between the species."

Horus blinked before returning her gaze. "A new order, you say? Your people stormed into my city and brought it to the ground to save yourselves. I'd say that was business as usual for the cats."

"Horus . . . "

"Let me finish!" Horus continued. "I believe things need to change, too, Cheetara, and I want to help you. I . . . I just need to believe that your people will stand by us in the end. You know the history. Such promises have been made by your ancestors before."

"What do you mean, Horus?"

"Read your history, Cheetara. I think you will understand. Your little show of charity these past few weeks pales in comparison to what my people want from you. Like it or not, Cheetara, you are the leader of the clerics, now. I want _you_ to give me something to believe in. You think about that during your 'discussions' with your King."

Cheetara nodded and eyed the yellow staff.

"You had better keep that," Horus said softly. "I get the feeling it's found its way into the right hands."

Cheetara and Horus made their way back through the hallway door to find Aria and the cats hovering over a slowing recovering Lion-O. Cheetara appeared with Horus in the narrow doorway of the dining hall, her dress blood stained and soiled. Upon seeing her, Tygra bared his claws and flew at Horus, pinning him to the floor.

"Let go!" Cheetara shouted at Tygra. Panthro and the kittens ripped Tygra off of Horus and managed to subdue the tiger.

"It's all right. I'll explain later." Cheetara said. "Right now, I'd really like to get back to the camp."

-o-

* * *

The cats changed out of their fine clothing and were mostly quiet as they reflected on Cheetara's story at camp.

"I wish I could've seen the look on Grune's face after you broke his leg!" Panthro snorted.

Tygra put his arm around Cheetara's shoulders. "I'm glad you're alright," he said, and kissed the nape of her neck.

"You don't have to worry. Horus is an ally. Complicated. But an ally." Cheetara reassured him.

Lion-O rose and moved away from the group. Tygra and Cheetara looked at each other and sighed.

"Somebody needs to go." Panthro said.

Cheetara rose and walked after Lion-O. She touched his arm to let him know she was near.

"Lion-O, I'm glad you're okay," she said. "I was horrified when I saw the danger you were in." Lion-O looked down at her arm, which rested upon his.

"Oh! I'm...sorry..." She stammered.

"No, it's all right." Lion-O smiled at her. "I'm glad you're okay, too."

"Lion-O," Cheetara started, deciding that now was as good of a time as any to make her request.

"I didn't tell you everything that happened to us in the Astral Plane or before we went in. I learned a great deal from Horus about our people's history. And I've had some dreams. Visions. A lot of it still doesn't make sense to me. I need help to sort it out, and I'd like to borrow the Book of Omens to help me do that."

Lion-O shifted his ears backwards and looked at the grass below his feet. "You're not going to like hearing this Cheetara, but I don't think that's a good idea."

"What do you mean?" Cheetara raised her eyebrows, surprised.

"I mean what I said," Lion-O frowned. "There is a lot of sensitive information in the Book. And with everything that's happened lately, and with Pumyra's betrayal and all..."

Cheetara advanced and stared down into Lion-O's eyes. "You would not dare compare me to the traitor, Pumyra? Or Grune?"

"I just don't know who to trust, Cheetara. And I don't always think you have the best judgement. You got awfully cozy with Horus while I was lying there unconscious. And..." Lion-O glanced backward toward the camp and watched as his brother unfolded the blankets for the night.

"And...?" Cheetara pressed.

"Nothing." Lion-O scowled. "There's just a lot you don't know. I'm not saying no. I'm just not ready to say yes. Just give me some time to think about it." Lion-O closed his eyes and gently touched Cheetara's cheek before turning to walk back to the camp.

"As you wish, Lion-O." Cheetara nodded stiffly and departed.

Cheetara looked into the night sky and saw that the third moon was starting to rise. She aimed her body upward, and let her thoughts escape in all directions. Of course Lion-O could not know what she had given up all these years and what she continued to deny herself so that she could serve him. Still, all the meditations and the sacrifices were silly, meaningless, pointless because Lion-O did not want a cleric and she did not want this bother. The air scattered beneath her feet as she accelerated away from the camp, to where she neither knew nor cared. For now, she just needed to get away. As her sprint turned into flight, she tucked the yellow staff away and decided to take her chances in the dark.

**oOo**

fin**  
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Thanks for reading!


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